


(this is the place) where I feel at home

by jensenacklesruinedmylife



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Feels, Background Relationships, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I tried to write angst and it turned into fluff, Jack is a BABY, Kid!Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Minor Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Parenthood, Teacher Castiel (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jensenacklesruinedmylife/pseuds/jensenacklesruinedmylife
Summary: Quote prompt from tumblr: "When will you be home?"Raising their new adopted son, Jack, is more difficult than Cas thought it would be.Dean feels bad, and tries to make it better, and maybe has a revelation in the process.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 122





	(this is the place) where I feel at home

“When will you be home?” 

Castiel sounds like a wreck over the phone, and Dean’s heart breaks a little. It’s only been about two months since they adopted Jack, and Cas offered to take paternity leave for ten weeks so someone could be home with him all the time. Dean fought him on this, suggesting that they split their time, but Dean’s management position at the dealership makes him more money than Cas’s private school teacher salary, so they agreed that Dean would work full time the first few months, than take vacation time off once Cas went back to work. _After that,_ they’d look into putting Jack in daycare. However, Dean isn’t so sure how long he and Cas can continue managing the toddler on their own. 

“I’m stuck on the freeway, traffic is bad because of the rain,” Dean explains, fiddling with the radio in his car to find the the local traffic and weather station, “but I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

Cas sighs, and Dean can tell he’s bone tired. “Okay,” he says, sounding defeated, “It’s just... nevermind.” 

“No, Cas, what is it?” Dean probes, “Talk to me, babe. Hard day?” 

“I haven’t been able to just... _slow down,_ or even just sit down and _breathe_ , until now. Jack hasn’t settled since his morning nap, and when he cries I still don’t know what he wants. I do everything they told us in those parenting classes, Dean, I check his diaper, I play classical music, I carry him up and down the stairs and all over the house, I put him in his playpen, we do tummy time, I fed him and he threw up all over the floor, I --!”

“Cas, _Cas_! Hey, it’s okay,” Dean interrupts, because now Cas is just rambling, and that never ends well. 

“Is it?!” Cas sounds almost angry, and Dean feels guilty as all hell. He _knew_ he shouldn’t have agreed to this arrangement. There’s no way Cas can handle doing this five days a week, ten hours a day, on his own. By the time Dean gets home, he puts Jack to bed before eating his own dinner and passing out. Cas truly has done _everything_ for the past couple months. Dean tries to take over on the weekends, but Cas is just _better_ at all of it, and faster, so he usually can’t help but take over whatever baby-related task Dean is attempting.

Dean shakes his head, letting out a frustrated sigh. _This isn’t about you right now,_ he reminds himself. He had a busy, but relatively stress-free day at work. Now is the time to support his husband.

“I’m sorry,” Dean apologizes, hitting his blinker to pull off at the nearest exit. The back roads have _got_ to be faster than this. “You’ve been amazing through all of this, Cas. We’ll find a way to make it work.” 

“Will we?” Cas asks quietly, but Dean can hear the doubt in his voice loud and clear. He knows where this is going. “Did we make the right choice, Dean? Can we really do this? Doesn’t Jack deserve better?” 

“Don’t start with that, Cas, of course we can do this!”

“I mean, I love him, I really do, and I don’t want to give him up, but... but what if --?”

“Cas, _we can do this,”_ Dean emphasizes, trying to sound encouraging but unsure of how much he believes his own words. “No one said it would be easy, right?” 

“No one tells you it’ll be _this damn hard,”_ Cas whimpers, and Dean can tell his husband is on the verge of tears, and he presses the gas pedal a little harder. He needs to get home. 

“How about this, hm? How about you and I go somewhere tomorrow? A quick one-night get away?” 

Cas sniffles, “Don’t you have to work?” 

“I’ll call in sick. Sam or Eileen can take Jack for the day, you know how much they’ve been beggin’ us to let ‘em babysit, and I know for a fact that Sam is free tomorrow because he closed his big case yesterday.”

There’s a pause over the line as Dean pulls into his neighborhood. 

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Dean answers, “We’ll go to the lake, take a boat ride, have dinner at that fancy place by the water, and I’ll take care of Jack all weekend. I want you to do _nothing._ I’ll cook and clean and mow the lawn, but you’ve got to _relax._ Book an appointment at the spa you love, grab Charlie and visit that bee museum that makes you all giddy, just get out of the house, okay? You need a break.”

There’s another pause as Dean turns on to their street. He might be biting off more than he can chew, but for Cas, he’ll do just about anything. He’s missed Jack, although the kid is exhausting, he’s theirs, and they’re a family. There’s nothing Dean won’t do for family. It’s about time he stepped up. He makes a mental note to see if he can arrange his schedule and come home early a couple days a week. Cas is a wonderful husband, and an incredible father, but he’s a stubborn bastard who won’t ask for help, so Dean’s just gonna have to show up and give it to him. 

“Thank you, Dean,” Cas finally says as Dean pulls his car into their driveway. “That sounds really nice.” 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Dean replies gently, “It’s the least I can do.” 

“How’s the traffic now? Are you almost here?” Cas asks. 

“Almost,” Dean teases, “I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” 

“Alright. I love you.”

Dean can feel himself smiling as he puts the car in park. He really is gone on Cas, and he couldn’t be happier. “Love you, too.” 

Dean hangs up and makes his way out of the car and to his front door, thankful that the rain has stopped. The house isn’t huge, but there’s a garden in the front, and a yard in the back, and it’s enough space for the three of them. Sam and Eileen live a few blocks away in one of the newer properties in the neighborhood. They moved as soon as they could once they found out they’d soon have a nephew, wanting to be closer to family. 

Dean opens the front door quietly, not surprised to find the living room in a bit of disarray, baby toys strewn all over the place. Dean kicks off his loafers and hangs his work bag on one of the hooks by the door, then tosses his keys and wallet into the ceramic bowl sitting on the table in the entrance way. Cas specifically placed it there so Dean would stop losing his valuables. He isn’t sure what he did to deserve a man like Cas. 

He passes the kitchen and makes his way upstairs, hearing the faint sounds of classic rock lullabies that they play for Jack every night coming from the nursery. Dean reaches his son’s door and pushes it open slowly, if only to catch a glimpse of Jack before finding his husband. The boy is fast asleep in his crib, thin blond hair falling into his face, sucking happily on one of his many pacifiers. In his hand is a stuffed animal from his Uncle Sam, a moose he bought him as a homecoming present. Jack has been in love with that thing since he laid eyes on it. It’s adorable, really. The nightlight in the room illuminates the ceiling, creating a star pattern above Jack’s crib. It’s such a calming image, and as Dean closes the door again, he’s filled with a strange sense of peace, and an overwhelming desire to find Cas.

“Dean?”

Dean whips around to find Castiel standing at their bedroom door, wearing only sleep pants and his blue cotton robe. The man yawns adorably as Dean walks toward him.

“Hey, baby,” he greets, ducking his head to kiss Cas softly on the mouth.

Cas sighs into the kiss, and his strong arms pull Dean closer and wrap around his shoulders. “Missed you,” he whispers, pressing their foreheads together. 

“Missed you, too,” Dean responds, leaning back in for another kiss. “Sorry it took so long.”

“Not your fault,” Cas tells him, playing with his tie. “I’m just glad you’re here now. I’m sorry the house is a mess.”

“Hey, that is the _least_ of my worries,” Dean states firmly. He pulls Cas’s chin up with a finger so he can look him in the eyes. He tries not to drown while he’s at it. “All that matters to me is that you and Jack are safe and happy, you know that. I’ll clean in the morning.”

“Dean, you don’t have to do --.”

“I want to,” Dean says. “You’re exhausted, babe. Let yourself sleep in. In fact, where’s your phone?” 

Dean steps around Cas to enter their master bedroom. He pulls his own phone out of his pocket and places it on the charger on his bedside table, then picks Cas’s phone off of the dresser and turns off the alarms for the next three day. 

“Wait, Dean,” Cas reaches for his phone and laughs when Dean holds it up over his head, “Okay, but what if --?”

“Nope, I’m home for the entire weekend. There’s no need for you to wake up early to do _anything,_ Mr. Novak-Winchester.”

Cas crosses his arms, but Dean can tell he’s not truly upset. “Is that so, Mr. Novak-Winchester?” 

“It is,” Dean nods, “I mean it, Cas. If I see you up before 9AM I _will_ throw Jack’s dirty diapers at you.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Cas challenges, eyebrow raised. 

“Try me,” Dean bites back playfully, setting Cas’s phone back down on the dresser. 

Cas narrows his eyes at Dean, then his face breaks out into a full on grin, and Dean knows he’s in trouble. In a few swift movements, Cas throws Dean back onto the bed, then jumps on top of him, straddling his hips with his knees and holding Dean’s wrists against the mattress. 

“What did I tell you about that smart mouth of yours, huh?” Cas teases. Dean smirks, opens his mouth to respond, and is surprised when he moans instead. Cas, _the bastard,_ grinds his hips over Dean’s crotch and leans down to bite at the shell of his ear. It’s been so long since they’ve done anything remotely sexual and Dean’s body is already on fire. 

“ _Fuck,”_ Dean whines, and he tries to move, anything to get just a little more friction as Cas moves his lips to his neck and kisses him there, warm and wet, but then, as quickly as it started, Cas rolls off of him and crawls over to his side of the bed with a chuckle. 

Dean groans, “What the hell was that for?” 

“No reason,” Cas shrugs, “Just wanted a taste. Too bad you can’t stay up too late tonight, you’ve got a busy morning ahead. Ya know, taking care of the house and the baby all by yourself. Since I’ll be here. Sleeping in.” 

“You smug sonofabitch,” Dean chides.

“You love me,” Cas quips.

“Damn right I do,” Dean winks, then moves to sit next to his husband on his own side of the bed. He loosens his tie and reaches for his phone, sending a quick text to Sam about his plans for tomorrow, adding that he and Cas will need the night off as well. There’s _no way_ his husband is getting away with that little display of affection. Dean smiles as he imagines all the ways he can get Cas back, make him feel good, relieve his stress is the best way he knows how. He locks his phones and stares at the image on the screen: His little family, the day Jack came home. In the photo, Jack is asleep on Dean’s chest and Cas is kissing the top of his head. He glances over at Cas, who’s reading a book in the dim lighting of the lamp on the table next to him, looking ethereal as always, and Dean still can’t believe he got so lucky. 

“Dean,” Cas says without looking up, but he smiles. “You’re staring. I thought that was my thing? 

“Can’t I stare at my husband?” Dean asks in mock-offense. “It’s not my fault he’s so goddamn beautiful.” 

“Oh, hush,” Cas waves him away, blushing slightly, “Go brush your teeth so we can go to bed.” 

“Yes, sir,” Dean responds, earning him an eye roll from Cas. He does as he’s told and soon they’re curled up in bed together, falling asleep to the sound of classic rock lullabies and Jack’s soft breathing coming from the babycam on the dresser. 

Dean doesn’t remember ever feeling more at home in his life. It’s in that moment that Dean knows everything will be alright. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Find me on [tumblr](jensenacklesruinedmylife.tumblr.com). (:  
> xoxo, Edwina


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